A chipped tooth is one of the most common dental injuries, and what you should do about it depends entirely on how deep the chip goes. A small chip limited to the outer enamel layer is a cosmetic issue you can address at a routine dental appointment. A deeper chip that exposes the sensitive inner layers of the tooth needs faster attention and a more involved repair. Here’s how to handle both scenarios and everything in between.
What to Do Right Away
If you’ve just chipped a tooth, find the fragment if you can and store it in milk. A dentist may be able to reattach it depending on the size and location of the break. Rinse your mouth gently with warm water to clean the area.
The biggest immediate concern is the sharp edge left behind, which can cut your tongue, cheek, or lip. You can cover the jagged edge with a piece of sugar-free gum or dental wax (sold at most pharmacies) until you get to a dentist. If the chip is small and painless, schedule a regular appointment. If you’re experiencing significant pain, sensitivity to temperature, or you can see a pinkish spot in the center of the broken area (that’s the pulp, the living tissue inside the tooth), call for an urgent visit.
Three Levels of Severity
Not all chips are equal, and the treatment you’ll need maps directly to how deep the fracture goes.
Enamel-only chips are the mildest. The break stays in the hard outer shell of the tooth and doesn’t reach the softer layer underneath. You’ll typically have no pain, no sensitivity, and normal bite function. These chips usually happen at the edge of a front tooth and are mainly a cosmetic concern.
Chips that reach the dentin go one layer deeper. Dentin is the yellowish tissue beneath the enamel, and it contains microscopic tubes that connect to the nerve. A chip at this level often causes sensitivity to cold air, sweet foods, or temperature changes, though the tooth itself remains alive and healthy. You won’t feel pain when tapping on it, and it shouldn’t be loose.
Chips that expose the pulp are the most serious. The pulp is the soft tissue at the center of the tooth containing nerves and blood vessels. When it’s exposed, you’ll feel sharp sensitivity to air, temperature, and pressure. This type of fracture needs prompt treatment to prevent infection and may eventually require a root canal if the pulp becomes damaged.
Managing Pain Before Your Appointment
For mild pain from a chipped tooth, over-the-counter ibuprofen at 200 to 400 mg every four to six hours is the standard recommendation from the American Dental Association. If the pain is moderate to severe, combining ibuprofen (400 to 600 mg) with acetaminophen (500 mg) every six hours for the first 24 hours is more effective than either one alone. After that first day, you can take the same combination as needed.
Avoid very hot, very cold, or sugary foods and drinks on the affected side. If the chip has exposed dentin or pulp, even breathing through your mouth on a cold day can trigger a jolt of pain.
How Dentists Repair a Chipped Tooth
Dental Bonding
For small to moderate chips, bonding is the most common fix. Your dentist applies a tooth-colored resin directly to the chipped area, shapes it to match the original tooth, and hardens it with a special light. The whole process typically takes 30 to 60 minutes per tooth and usually doesn’t require any enamel removal or numbing. Bonding costs between $288 and $915 per tooth without insurance and lasts roughly 3 to 7 years before it needs a touch-up or replacement.
Porcelain Veneers
For larger chips on front teeth, or when you want a longer-lasting cosmetic result, veneers are a step up. These are thin ceramic shells custom-made to cover the front surface of the tooth. The trade-off is that your dentist needs to remove some enamel to make room for the veneer, which means the process is permanent. Once you have veneers, you’ll always need veneers. They last 10 to 15 years or longer and cost $500 to $2,895 per tooth without insurance.
Dental Crowns
When a chip removes a large portion of the tooth structure, or when the remaining tooth is weakened and at risk of further breaking, a crown covers the entire visible portion of the tooth. Crowns are the most durable option and are typically recommended when bonding or a veneer wouldn’t provide enough structural support. Like veneers, they require removing some natural tooth material and generally need replacing every 10 to 20 years.
Root Canal
If the chip has exposed or damaged the pulp, the inner tissue may become infected or die. In that case, a root canal removes the damaged pulp, cleans the inside of the tooth, and seals it. A crown is almost always placed afterward to protect the weakened tooth. This sounds intimidating, but the procedure itself is comparable to getting a deep filling.
Warning Signs That Need Urgent Attention
Most chipped teeth aren’t emergencies, but certain symptoms indicate the injury is more serious than it looks. Pay attention if pain persists for days without improving, if it throbs deeply and spreads to your jaw or ear, or if sensitivity to hot or cold lingers for 30 seconds or more after the trigger is gone. Quick, sharp sensitivity that fades immediately is normal with an exposed dentin layer. Lingering pain that hangs around after you stop drinking that hot coffee points to possible pulp damage.
Swollen or tender gums near the chipped tooth, a small pimple-like bump on the gum line, a bad taste in your mouth, or the tooth turning noticeably darker than its neighbors are all signs of infection or dying pulp tissue. These warrant a call to your dentist that day rather than waiting for a scheduled appointment.
Making Your Repair Last
Bonding material is strong but not as resilient as natural enamel. The most common reason bonded teeth need early repair is biting down on something hard: ice, hard candy, pen caps, fingernails. If you grind your teeth at night, mention it to your dentist, because grinding can wear through bonding material much faster than normal use.
Beyond avoiding hard objects, the maintenance is straightforward. Brush twice a day, floss daily, and use an antiseptic mouthwash. Regular dental cleanings help your dentist catch early signs of wear on the bonded area before it chips again. Tobacco products stain bonding material more readily than natural enamel and can shorten the repair’s lifespan, so cutting back or quitting helps the repair look better for longer.
If you chipped the tooth during sports or physical activity, a custom mouthguard is worth the investment. A second chip on the same tooth usually means a more expensive repair, since there’s less original tooth structure left to work with.